


getting off on the wrong foot

by Kaatyr



Series: The Sorcerer's Receptionist AU [3]
Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Gen, One Shot, Prequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 22:39:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28767957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaatyr/pseuds/Kaatyr
Summary: The tale of Kurapika's first meeting with the knight captain, Lucilfer.Falls chronologically before 'a walk in the mountains'.
Series: The Sorcerer's Receptionist AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2091129
Kudos: 5





	getting off on the wrong foot

“Just try one, dear.”

The bartender, a middle-aged woman with hawkish eyes pushed a mug toward Kurapika, who eyed it with uncertainty. Technically, he was old enough to drink, as per the laws of this kingdom, but he had little experience with alcohol.

“If the little boy doesn’t want to...” Baise’s eyes glittered with mockery as she drank from her own mug. Kurapika wished that she’d worn a more appropriate shirt—the one she currently wore was too tight and low-cut for his liking. Was she hoping that men would notice her breasts? But wouldn’t it be rude to stare? But wouldn’t not staring be rude, if Baise were flaunting her assets deliberately? Kurapika felt completely out of his depth.

He supposed he was probably overthinking it. He hadn’t known Baise for long, but the impression she’d left on him was of someone who welcomed male attention.

Kurapika himself wasn’t in a mood to welcome any attention, male or otherwise. He would have happily worn one of his usual black suits to the gathering, but manners dictated that he make an effort to fit in. As most of the other receptionists had chosen to wear more casual (or, as in Baise’s case, more revealing) clothes, Kurapika had decided to wear a nice scarlet-coloured jacket that he’d bought a few months ago. He’d intended to wear it over the winter months, but winter was unexpectedly cold here, and the jacket wasn’t suited for it. Now that winter was finally beginning to give way to spring, the weather was perfect for the jacket.

Feeling as if he had something to prove thanks to Baise’s ‘little boy’ comment, Kurapika grabbed at the mug. He brought it to his mouth, grimacing at the aroma, before taking a tentative sip. He coughed, feeling it burn down his throat as he swallowed. He had to admit that the burn felt kind of pleasant.

Baise clapped him on the back and Kurapika nearly dropped the mug. “Atta boy,” she said approvingly, oblivious to Kurapika’s frosty glare.

“Just take your time with it,” Melody advised Kurapika from his opposite side as Kurapika carried the mug over to the table where the rest of their colleagues waited. Baise followed, carrying a tray of snacks.

Melody was the only receptionist whom Kurapika thought that he might be able to tolerate. She had a sweet, polite temperament and she respected his boundaries.

After toasting the new recruit, a blushing Kurapika trying to hide his face behind his mug, the group began to chatter amongst themselves. Kurapika took refuge in his drink, sipping slowly from the bitter mug while listening with half an ear. Though he’d been kindly invited on this nightly excursion, Kurapika still felt like an outsider. The conversations around him were filled with the names of people he didn’t know, and the names of places that he was only vaguely familiar with.

Kurapika supposed that it wasn’t surprising that he was having such a hard time adjusting to a new environment. Earth mages tended to root themselves in one place. That wasn’t to say that they didn’t travel. Kurapika liked to see new things and have new experiences as much as anyone else, but he also liked to have somewhere familiar to return to when he needed stability. With his home in ruins, he felt adrift on a vast, unfamiliar ocean with no island to return to.

When a group of men and women wearing military uniforms made their boisterous entrance into the bar, Kurapika shrunk down in his seat, feeling even more out-of-place. His colleagues called out to some of the knights; apparently, they were friends. Kurapika sighed to himself as several of the knights joined them. He felt a headache beginning to bloom behind his eyes. This definitely wasn’t his scene at all.

Melody's advice had been good. From his observations, Kurapika gleaned that if he finished his drink too quickly, his mug would be topped up without his consent and he'd feel obliged to drink it.

“Aren’t you a pretty thing?”

At first, Kurapika didn’t realise that he was being addressed. He continued to stare moodily down into his half-full mug while considering how to politely leave early.

“Hey, I’m talkin’ to you.”

A large hand clamped down on Kurapika’s shoulder. Kurapika flinched, then glared up at the man standing just behind him. He had pale skin and short, dark brown hair. His knight’s uniform made him look quite distinguished, but Kurapika wasn’t impressed. He thought that it was a little pretentious of the man to wear the uniform when he clearly wasn’t working. It also made Kurapika wonder if the man had bothered to go home and bathe before going out on the town.

Not every culture has the same customs as yours, Kurapika reminded himself for what felt like the thousandth time since he’d left his forested home.

“Sorry,” Kurapika said quietly. “You said ‘pretty’ so I assumed that you meant someone else. Excuse me for my rudeness.”

Kurapika hoped that would be that, but it wasn’t.

“You new? Working at the Hunter Guild?” the knight asked.

Kurapika clenched his free hand under the table. “Yes,” he said, his tone curt. Couldn’t this guy take a hint?

“Need someone to show you around? Little lady like you shouldn’t be wandering around a place like this alone.”

Kurapika scowled. “You’re mistaken. I’m not a lady, and I assure you, I have no difficulty in navigating the city.”

He felt the weight of a stare on him and turned to see Melody looking at him with mild worry in her eyes.

The knight laughed, then leaned in until Kurapika could smell the alcohol on his breath. These knights must have been to another bar before this one. Kurapika wished that they would move on, but a quick glance around showed that most seemed to have settled in for a while, mugs in hand and conversations flowing along with the beer. No one else appeared to be in Kurapika’s predicament.

A handsome, black-haired man had seated himself across the table from Kurapika, next to Baise, who was currently topping up his mug. The man’s eyes were a darker grey than Kurapika’s, and very intense. The insignia on his uniform indicated to Kurapika that he was very highly ranked, and likely of noble birth.

“There’s no way you ain’t a boy,” the knight slurred next to Kurapika’s ear.

Kurapika sighed again. This knight really was drunk. “A double negative equals a positive,” he lectured frostily, causing Melody’s lips to twitch upward in amusement. “But your statement is factually correct, nonetheless, though I’m sure it’s not what you meant to say. Once again... I am not a girl.”

The knight snickered before fingering Kurapika’s earring. Kurapika flinched badly, setting his mug hastily down on the table before it spilled.

“Jumpy, aren’t ya?” the knight asked as Kurapika turned to face him with narrowed eyes. “That’s why ya need someone looking out for ya, honey.”

The knight looked proud and smug as if he’d won his argument.

“Please don’t touch me again,” Kurapika hissed out, his back straight and tense in the chair. He would have happily gotten up and left right then and there, but the knight’s bulk blocked his passage to safety.

“Excuse me,” Melody tried to put in quietly, one hand coming to rest on Kurapika’s arm. Her expression was very earnest, and Kurapika was glad for the support. “My colleague doesn’t want company tonight,” she said apologetically.

“Who’re you? Her mother?” the knight sneered.

Kurapika’s temper, fragile at the best of times, snapped. He rose to his feet, shaking with both anger and nerves. Even so, the knight towered over Kurapika’s diminutive form.

That’s enough,” Kurapika said firmly. “Please leave me alone.” And that was the last time Kurapika planned on using the word ‘please’ that night. He was done.

“You think you can boss me around, sweetie?” the knight sneered. “Little thing like you should learn some manners.”

“Oh?” Kurapika inquired, venom dripping from that single word. “How’s this for manners?” He picked up his mug and threw the remaining liquid in the knight’s face. Satisfied that he couldn’t possibly be any clearer than that, and shaking badly with fear of the consequences, Kurapika sat heavily down in his chair as the knight spluttered at him.

“Enjoy your drink,” Kurapika said icily.

“Oh, Kurapika.” Melody looked like she wanted to bury her face in her hands. In contrast, Baise and another receptionist were laughing openly at him. The black-haired knight continued to sip his beer, stare still intent on Kurapika.

“You little—“ The knight raised his hand, and Kurapika cringed, sensing that a blow was coming.

“Haku.”

The black-haired man finally spoke, causing the drunk knight to freeze.

“Find another table and leave the miss alone,” the black-haired man said.

Kurapika turned around to glare at him. “I’m not a girl!” he snapped.

“if you say so.” The black-haired man adopted a bored expression as his eyes skimmed across Kurapika’s face, past elegant, pinched eyebrows, pink lips thinned in displeasure and a red blush of temper on his cheeks and neck above the collar of his jacket. Beneath the jacket, Kurapika’s undershirt felt as if it were stuck to his skin.

The drunk knight, thankfully, left for the bathroom, grumbling to himself. That confirmed to Kurapika that the man across from him was very high ranked and respected by these knights. He was likely their captain.

“I do say so,” Kurapika snapped. It might have been pointless to continue the argument, But Kurapika couldn’t let it go. The pointed stares of the other knights made Kurapika feel very uncomfortable, but none of them voiced their opinions outright. Instead, they were waiting to see how their leader responded.

The knight captain stood. Kurapika tensed, but instead of making a move toward him, the captain picked up the jug of beer and refilled Kurapika’s mug. His expression was still entirely unbothered while Kurapika continued to seethe.

“My subordinate’s behaviour was very rude,” the captain said. “I apologise on his behalf.” He slid the full mug toward the blond. seemingly oblivious to the dark look Kurapika wore. Kurapika reached for the mug, frowning. Was this some sort of peace offering?

The captain sat back down again, smiling at Kurapika as if the matter were settled. Kurapika felt very much that it wasn’t.

“He certainly was rude,” Kurapika murmured, just loud enough for the other man to hear.

“If you don’t want to be mistaken for a girl, then dress more like a man,” the captain suggested.

“I said I was a man,” Kurapika responded bitterly. “How much clearer do I need to be?”

“Does being mistaken for a girl truly bother you that much?” the captain inquired.

Kurapika opened his mouth to reply but felt a hand on his arm. He turned to meet Melody’s sympathetic eyes. There was an unspoken warning in them. Kurapika looked around the table at his fellow receptionists, noting that they all wore similar looks. Some were tempered with relief, others resignation, some mild amusement, but all were, in their own way, warning him to let it go.

Kurapika drew his mug closer to himself, settling into a sullen silence. The conversation tentatively began to pick up around him. Across the table, the black-haired knight’s eyes continued to rest on Kurapika, making it impossible for him to let the incident go.

After twenty minutes and half a mug of beer later, Kurapika decided that he’d had enough. though he’d tried to focus on the conversations around him, he couldn’t enjoy himself in the slightest. He made his excuses as politely as he could, though he felt sure he came off as cold and rude. Much to his irritation, the knight captain offered to walk him to the door. Kurapika felt that because of the man’s high rank, he couldn’t refuse. He also had a feeling that refusing the offer would make him seem childish and petty. After all, apologies had been made. Continuing to let the incident fester would only hurt Kurapika’s image, not the knight’s.

It was so unfair.

The knight offered his arm and Kurapika took it, though his skin crawled. The knight weaved him around tables and chairs, escorting him to the door. Kurapika relished the cool winter air against his cheeks as they stepped into the street. Normally, the cold bothered him, but right now he needed it to banish the heat in his face.

“Do you require an escort home?” the knight asked, his tone conciliatory.

“No, thank you,” Kurapika bit out.

“I was just offering, not implying anything, Receptionist Kurapika,” the knight said.

When had he learned Kurapika’s name? It must have been from Baise or one of the other receptionists?

Kurapika swallowed, aware that any bitter response he made would come off badly. Damn this man, trying to play innocent, like the whole thing was nothing and Kurapika was being unreasonable for overreacting.

Still, Kurapika supposed that two could play that game. Maybe he could get a little of his own back by using the same tactic.

“Oh, I understand,” Kurapika said sweetly. “That’s a very generous offer, but I will be perfectly fine, Mister... uh...” Kurapika paused. He didn’t have the knight’s name.

“Lucilfer. Captain Chrollo Lucilfer,” the knight said, providing it with a helpful smile. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again soon, Kurapika. We knights often have business with the Hunter Guild.”

“Yes,” was all Kurapika could manage to say in response. He turned away, shoulders hunching beneath his jacket against the brisk wind that snatched at his hair and stung his cheeks. His boots crunched in the thin layer of snow, the last for the season, Kurapika suspected. He’d be glad to see the season go, just as he’d be glad to see the last of Captain Lucilfer. If he was very lucky, they wouldn’t cross paths again.


End file.
